Here’s Why The Opioid Crisis In USA Is So Out Of Control

Some overdoses and fatalities due to the consumption of prescription drugs, more specifically opiates have caused a chaotic epidemic in America. Primarily seen as a painkiller, the addiction to this medication is beyond clear and highly precautioned when being prescribed to a patient, yet is still happening.

There has to be a more powerful pain reliever than ibuprofen, but realistically the higher the dosage, the more addicting the feeling and high of the pill will become.

1. Has Cheaper Alternative:

Unfortunately, there is no way out of prescribing opiates unless you want to jack up the prices so much that people turn to the closest and cheapest alternative, heroin. People will always need some pain relief whether it be with personal health issues, accidents or pure physical pain leading them to a heavy dosage of medicine. Even if doctors were to prescribe fewer pills, consumers would look elsewhere to mediate the pain until they can fill their next prescription. With a similar high feeling to heroin, these pills are the gateway drug to cheaper and more harmful ones that can be found more easily on the streets rather than a required doctor’s note.

If anyone has been in a severe amount of pain, then you know that you want to relieve the pain instantly, sometimes without the full understanding of the potential risks and addiction that it can have on your overall health.

2. Small Prevention Efforts:

With the rising prices and a decrease in prescriptions out of the window, due to an uprise in Heroin, there hasn’t been any more efforts that have successfully stuck it out through this epidemic. There are have been easier access treatment programs implemented by the eastern states as well as a drug that can counteract opiate overdoses, but the likely hood of it is saving a life everytime is controversial.

Even by shutting down “pill mill” clinics that were prescribing a lot of opiates, the decrease in addiction is still on the rise. There have been thoughts of the expansion of Medicaid to extend mental health and substance abuse treatment to low-income residents, but that requires a lot of financial support that needs to be approved by the government.

3. New Opioid Introduced:

More potent than heroin, Fentanyl is a new form of “fake Xanax” also known as “death pills” that has been spreading throughout the U.S. for the past five years. The more people feel restricted to prescription drugs and over the counter transactions the higher chance of creativity when it comes to making a different, more compelling product.

There has recently been a higher rate of deaths using this opiate as well as heroin, showing the uprise in street drugs rather than the prescriptions, taking away any control that doctors and professionals may have on this occurrence.

This opioid abuse is out of control, and unfortunately, the measures to get it back in control is limited, but if there’s a will, there’s a way.